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Notes in a jar

Who doesn't love receiving written notes straight from the heart? Express your love creatively on Valentine's Day by making some handwritten notes — origami-style.

On a piece of origami paper, write a loving message, an inside joke or whatever will put a smile on your Valentine's face. Fold the paper into a crane, a heart or any other origami you desire, then place it inside a transparent jar. Repeat until the jar is filled with origami notes.

You can even personalize the jar by painting it or tying a ribbon around near the lid.

If your special somebody loves coffee or hot chocolate nearly as much as they love you, then a personalized mug may be perfect for them.

All you need is a white ceramic mug, colorful Sharpies of your choice and an oven. You can draw any fun design or a loving note for your Valentine.

When you're done designing, place the mug in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes. After letting it cool, you now have a perfect, personalized mug for your special person.

You can go the extra mile and fill it with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses or packets of hot chocolate!

Chocolate flowers

Why spend money on roses when you can make your own with Hershey's Kisses? This simple and sweet gift will not only melt your partner's heart, but also satisfy their taste buds.

Glue the bottom of a foil-wrapped chocolate and attach it to the bottom of another chocolate to make the perfect "bud.". Then stick a florist wire into one of the pointed ends. You also can use a barbecue stick and wrap it with some green tape.

Wrap the chocolates with cellophane and tighten it with twist ties. If you'd like, you can add artificial leaves to the flower or create more flowers to make a bouquet.

Banana Bread Valentines

Tell your favorite someone how much you "loaf" them with a homemade loaf of banana bread, baked in colorful tiny silicone loaf molds. You can use the following recipe or make your own banana bread and skip ahead to putting the mix in the molds.

You Will Need

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 medium size ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 teaspoons baking soda

Dash salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sour cream

Mini rectangle reusable baking cups (silicone)

Baking parchment

Baker's twine

Cardstock

Scissors

Steps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, whip softened butter and sugar until creamy (about 3 minutes). Place bananas and eggs in a blender, and blend for about a minute, until smooth. Add to butter and sugar, and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and stir. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and stir just until combined (don't overmix). Gently fold in the sour cream.

Grease the interior bottom and sides of the silicone muffin cups, and sprinkle with a layer of sugar, turning side to side until evenly coated. Dump out any leftover sugar that is not clinging to the sides. Spoon banana bread mixture into the prepared molds (about 2/3 full) and bake for about 12 minutes, or until evenly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Cut strips of baking parchment that are almost as wide as the width of the silicone molds. Wrap parchment once around the exterior of the mold with the two ends meeting and overlapping on the underside. Wrap with baker's twine, and affix a tag made with colored cardstock.

SUPER LAST MINUTE IDEAS!

Breakfast in bed

Start with heart-shaped food

Have any apples, watermelon or cantaloupe in your fridge? Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, stamp out several hearts and arrange in a bowl with some other holiday color-themed fruit, such as red strawberries, raspberries or purple grapes.

Don't worry if you don't have a cookie cutter - you can cut out the heart shape with a knife, it just takes longer.

Heart-shaped egg in toast

Throw some butter in a frying pan. While the butter is melting stamp out a heart in the bread. Place the bread in the frying pan and crack an egg into the heart shape. You can also place the heart you cut out of the slice of bread into the butter and toast that up for the plate.

More fun with food

You can use a sharp object, like a knife or even a pen, and etch a message into the skin of a banana. After a short while your message will appear. This is great for a super last minute Valentine's Day message or just as a surprise in your kid's lunch box.

For the baseball or sports fan

Like the message on a banana, this idea can be used in place of a Valentine's Day card. Sneak out to the garage and grab a baseball or softball. With a permanent marker, write "You're such a catch," then list a few of the reasons you feel that way. You'll have to use small penmanship. Baseballs don't have a lot of writing space.

Message on a bottle

You'll have to wait for a liquor store to open for this one, but since few people enjoy wine for breakfast, you'll be OK.

It's not about the taste, but rather the label for this gift. A wine called "Its Complicated" could be a subtle way of letting your sweetheart know things aren't going so well. "Ménage à Trois" speaks for itself. "Cupcake" wine is a welcome gift for those who aren't fond of the bakery arts.

Just add a label

A bag of red hots will set you back about $3 or pick up a bottle of hot sauce - either option will do for this Valentine's Day hack. If you have some gift tags left over from Christmas, look for the one with the fewest elves and write "Hot Stuff" on it. Attach it to the jar of Red Hots or bottle of hot sauce. It's a nice compliment and no one needs to know what it cost or that you threw this together half an hour ago.

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